Last Updated on February 10, 2016 12:49 pm
The office of Watauga County Emergency Management is reminding residents in the High Country of the expected continued below zero wind chills, and offering some safety reminders. In a post to their Facebook page on Wednesday, they noted that wind gusts tonight as high as 40-45mph are forecast which will result in wind chill values of -5 to -15 below zero. Dangerously cold wind chill values between Friday night and early Saturday are expected as well.
Here are some reminders and tips they offer up:
PLEASE remember to stay indoors if at all possible during this severe weather event. We would also like to offer some safety tips for keeping your livestock and other pets warm during this weather.
When attempting to keep your pets warm and safe, consider the following:
• Avoid using heating equipment (open flame devices, heat lamps, etc,) in or around combustible materials in barns and sheds.
• When using heating equipment, place the equipment in non-animal accessible areas to avoid the potential for the equipment becoming knocked over or broken.
• When using extension cords to power heating equipment or plugging in farm equipment, make sure the extension cord is rated for the intended use, and that it is not overloading an electrical system.
• Experts say that merely keeping your animals out of the wind and dry, without the use of heating equipment, is considered safe practices during winter weather.
